Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is an Anglican church built in 1848 by G E Street. It is constructed of pinkish-brown stone rubble with freestone dressings, including a spire, and has steep asbestos slate roofs with coped and buttressed gables. The church’s design is early Gothic.

The building comprises a nave, chancel, a south aisle, a tower west of the aisle, and a small lean-to vestry north of the chancel. The exterior features lancet windows of varying heights; three to each east gable end, two plus a sexfoil to the west gable end, and two windows with quatrefoil tracery to the east end of the aisle. Other windows are single lancets or grouped in pairs with a central cusped tracery. The broach spire has lucarnes, rising from a squat square tower with an arched doorway of two orders, fitted with a pair of planked doors and large ornate strap hinges.

Inside, the church has tie-beam crown-post and raftered roofs, except for the chancel which has a painted octagonal barrel roof with moulded ribs separating the panels. A three-bay arcade features moulded pointed arches on alternate round and octagonal piers with moulded capitals. The chancel window has rear arches and turned shafts, and the other windows have stone rear arches. A three-bay sedilia niche and piscina are located on the left. Fittings include plain numbered pews with square ends, an octagonal freestone font, and an octagonal freestone pulpit. The church contains stained glass with medallion motifs by Wailes. This is a very early and significant design by Street, embodying the simplicity of design that characterized the early Ecclesiological movement.